New U.S. Census figures show Mexican population in N.J. more than doubles in past decade

Leticia Ortega, who was born in Puebla, Mexico, moved to Passaic more than a decade ago.

"In the beginning, there was only one Mexican restaurant in the entire city. Now most of the people you see in this town are Mexican," the mother of two said.

Like much of the nation, New Jersey has seen its Hispanic population grow at an amazing rate over the last 10 years. This is nothing new in a state with long-established Puerto Rican and Dominican communities. What’s perhaps most surprising about new U.S. Census demographic figures to be released today, though, is the dramatic jump in the state’s Mexican population — which saw its numbers rise by 115,000 people since 2000.

The city of Passaic accounted for much of that influx, the figures show: Nearly one of every three people living in the city identify themselves as Mexican.

"Sometimes you don’t feel like you’re in the United States. Sometimes you feel like you’re in Mexico," said Ortega, whose parents own two restaurants in the city where dozens of new restaurants and groceries with "productos Mexicanos" signs line the streets.

New Brunswick, Lakewood, Paterson and Bridgeton also saw gains in their Mexican populations. And long before the Census figures were tabulated, music promoters already knew of the region’s growing Mexican population, booking Los Tigres del Norte (The Tigers of the North), a legendary norteño ensemble into Asbury Park, in recognition of the region’s changing demographics.

At the same time, the Census figures out today report other Hispanic groups also grew in size, as did the state’s already considerable Asian Indian population.

Overall, New Jersey’s Hispanic population increased by nearly 40 percent, to 1.5 million people. Those identifying themselves as Hispanic now represent almost 18 percent of the state — an increasingly larger voting block with political implications for the future.

Much of that increase could not be attributed to any one group — a category the Census labels as "other Hispanics," which can include Dominicans, those from South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The Cuban community grew by about 8 percent, to 83,000 people. The number of those from Puerto Rico increased by 18 percent, to about 434,000 people, according to the Census.

The Asian population now stands at 725,700, an increase of more than 50 percent over the past 10 years — with Asian Indians the fastest growing segment of that population.

James W. Hughes, dean of Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, said the growth in the different immigrant groups follows a pattern set down for generations.

"There are settlers who create a colony and they provide a magnet for others to follow," he said.

For the Asian Indian population, the lure was the high-tech economy of central New Jersey at a time when AT&T and the pharmaceutical industry were the leading employers of the region and were looking for skilled engineers and other trained professionals.

"That started it, and as immigration quotas were raised, Woodbridge and Edison became big areas of growth for the state’s Asian Indians," Hughes said.

Pradip (Peter) Kothari, president of the Indo-American Cultural Society in Edison, said the established community in New Jersey continues to be a big lure for newcomers.

"Living is more comfortable here," he said of the state. "There are schools and groceries and all the needs an ethic community would have, within a few miles of driving."

Kothari came to the United States from India in 1972 to go to college, and never left.

Middlesex County remains home to the state’s largest enclave from the subcontinent, followed by Hudson County.

Jersey City saw the largest increase in Asian Indian population, which doubled to 27,000. Asian Indians now represents 11 percent of the city’s population of 247,000. Edison, South Brunswick, Woodbridge and Piscataway also saw gains.

Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said Jersey City has long had a strong Indian community.

"You could see it growing," he said, noting the shopping district along Newark Avenue with its restaurants, shops and other businesses catering to the community. "Go there on a Friday night or a Saturday and you can’t drive. It’s just teeming with activity."

Some of the new influx, he suggested, was a result of the financial and high tech jobs that have come into the city along the waterfront, or because of the city’s access to New York.

Elsewhere, other Asian groups that increased their numbers significantly include the Chinese, Filipinos and Koreans.

For some of the newly counted immigrants, their stay here may be a brief stopping point. Manuel Ramirez-Romero of Passaic, who came from Mexico to find work, still talks to his parents back home every day. His plan is to save money and eventually return.

However, as many immigrant groups before, others have already begun to assimilate. Ortega said she is proud of her heritage, but has also embraced her adopted country.

Now an American citizen, she gave her boys American names — 12-year-old Derek, for Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, and 10-year-old Dylan, for the character played by Luke Perry on Beverly Hills 90210.